"Redeemed Camp Now Supermarket For Politicians, Charlatans" – Former RCCG Pastor
Solomon Bankole, a former pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has clamped down hard on the General Overseer of the church, Pastor E A Adeboye, for allowing politicians i.e President Jonathan, into their annual RCCG Holy Ghost congress and turning it into a political congress.
According to a statement released by Bankole who said he left the church as pastor in 2010 but still worships there, the church programme has now turned to a ‘supermarket where charlatans and political opportunists come shopping. He questioned why President Jonathan should be allowed to stand on their ‘Once sacred alter’ and speak deceitfully and indirectly campaign for 2015 during a spiritual gathering.
"I know this post will attract a sharp condemnation because I worship in RCCG and I was once a pastor before I resigned voluntarily because of rights violations in the name of religion. I resigned in December 2010 but I am still worshiping there as an ordinary member. So, whatever I have here is without prejudice.
"Holy ghost congress of our great church is now a political congress where all shades of corrupt leaders will mount our altar to fool Nigerians on what they will do.
"Holy Ghost congress is now a supermarket where all kinds of people like charlatans and political opportunist come shopping turning God to father Christmas to give them end of the year bonus.
"Jonathan was even there turning our once sacred altar to political podium talking deceitfully and indirectly campaigning for 2015. My question is this? On what ground was president Jonathan allowed to speak to people. Is he a pastor? Because the gathering is purely a spiritual gathering and event.
"I’ve been a pastor in Redeemed for the past 10 years and I’ve not got any opportunity to sit on dat altar not to talk of holding mic. If because Jonathan is a President and he is recognized, it means some are more equal than others.
"Immediately I left camp on Saturday morning, I looked at the camp very well because I know that would be the last time I will set my foot to that Eagle Square called Redeemed camp."
Christ wept when He said that ” when the son of comes will He still find faith on the earth” it is our duty as believers to weep between the porch seeking the face of God to intervene so that the political class will not take over the pulpit of God from God’s ministers and shift the pastors aside. Heaven is looking for the Jeremiahs, the Daniels, the Isaiah, the Elijahs and the Elisha that will let the church and politicians know of God displeasure of what is happening to His Church. let us not act like Eli the High Priest.
Oh yes God is on the throne, and I perceive that He is running out of patience with most of our ministers of the gospel. It is one thing to be insensitive to the plight of poor members in RCCG churches, and it is worse to now allow the politicians to get recognised and acknowledged on the altar of God. It is terrible not to be bold to rebuke these politicians (some say it is being diplomatic not to rebuke politicians directly), but I believe it is a slap in the face of God almighty to let these occultists, insensitive and inhuman creatures to come and desecrate God’s Holy altar. I hope we still believe that it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God and that our God is a consuming fire. God is not a respecter of persons. Let us work out our salvation with fear and trembling. The last time Jesus came into the world, He came as a meek lamb that was led to the altar to be slain for the redemption of our sins. But mind you, when next he returns He will come to judge the earth, He will be fierce against any thing and anyone who is unholy.
After the rapture, Jesus Christ will return with the saints and judge the unholy inhabitants of the earth. Please take note, that He will not be returning then like a meek lamb Oh ! He will be returning as the fierce judge, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
My Fellow believers out there, we are labourers in the Lord’s vineyard daily and for as surely as God lives, we know we will be rewarded for helping out the needy, especially those of the household of faith. For me, the best reward is for myself, my household and as many believers I know to get raptured with all the other saints from all over the world, on that day when the trumpet sounds.
God’s yoke is easy but His burden is light.
There is nothing more satisfying to me than to work in the Lord’s vineyard, for the Lord Himself and with children of God.
I pray that God will sustain, strengthen and protect us all. The situation in Nigeria is so pathetic, but at the same time, it should be a wake-up call to the Nigerian church to make quick amends to the cracks in the body of Christ.
I was just telling a friend that the Nigerian church missed a great opportunity to register it’s relevance as the salt of the earth and light to Nigeria in the midst of darkness.
People were only concerned about ‘prosperity’ messages, while neglecting the real issues of Christianity, i.e. love, compassion, holiness and righteousness etc.
The love of money is the root of all evil. This is because the god of mammon hardens the heart of everyone who toys with him.
The plight of widows, orphans, the fatherless, motherless and the destitute in Nigeria is ever on the increase on a daily basis despite the prosperity messages in almost all churches. The numbers of these forgotten groups of people have been increasing daily and the rich churches are not, and did not make the desired impact that was & is desired in the lives of these loved ones ( I stand to be corrected ). God’s ears are attentive to the cries of these ones. Oh! He hears them when they pray.
There is so much misplaced priorities by the big church leaders in Nigeria.
When men of God begin to boast about earthly property and assets (competing whose Jet is bigger than the other person’s jet) then it is clearly written on the wall that it is a matter of time for the devourer to strike the church.
In these same churches where there is so much money and earthly assets, there are many that live in extreme poverty. I know of at least three families that were so used to drinking hot water as their dinner at least three times a week; and only a handful of people in our parish cared. These families were living in Jos, Plateau State and two of these families were faithful members of our RCCG parish. We, the church members had to come together and raise money to assist these families, to at least earn a decent living. The Women’s Fellowship members (Good Women) will collect a separate offering in secret and buy a bag of wheat flour, a gallon of soya oil and a bag of sugar and give to these deprived women and encourage them to fry puff puff, and raise some money for feeding their kids. The issue of school fees was a different matter ( that one is another long story).
The money had to be raised in secret because if by mistake the “big goons in RCCG” had an idea about this money, they would force us to send all of it to Lagos. Yet church members were dying of hunger and crying out to God.
We don’t know why the GO, Pastor Adeboye was not sensitive to the plight of the poor church members. Perhaps when God asks him why, he will have a sensible explanation to give to God.
Meanwhile, the rest of the tithe and offering money (every single naira ) we raised in the church every sunday and during weekly services was taken to the church HQ in Lagos (it was mandatory), but the welfare of these faithful but poor church members was not a priority. And I can assure you, trust me; these poor people would hardly miss any church meeting. They are the ones that usually run to the church very early on Sundays to sweep inside the church, clean the gutters and arrange the chairs.
That was so sad, it broke my heart and sometimes when our salaries will be withheld for one to three months, I will be helpless. My family and I had to leave Nigeria so that we would be more useful to help such people still in Nigeria.
By the time a nation and its leaders allow poverty to flourish in that country, they are asking for nothing but trouble; and are indeed making a big mistake.
But, even if the politicians are corrupt, why should the church refuse to do the right thing ?
When people have been used to extreme suffering, will their hearts not be hardened ?
Are such people not the type that are already ripe for the devil to use according to his will ?
Statistics have it that out of 160 million people in Nigeria, 86% live in extreme poverty.
But the message of compassion, love, concern and sensitivity to our brothers’ and sisters’ needs, is no longer heard from many pulpits.
I wonder why most Nigerian pastors are that way ?
In several verses in the bible, any person (even a child who can read ) who reads what God talks about the Poor, will realise that He is very compassionate about them, and He pays special attention to them.
I strongly believe that if the Nigerian church had ensured that the plight of the Widows, Orphans, the Fatherless and Motherless and Destitute was made enviable, the devil would have been intimidated and he would not have had his way with many hearts as he is doing in Nigeria today.
I’m sorry for taking so much of your time with my long sermon. But i just had to put my thoughts into written words today.
May God bless you and use you mightily, to restore lost souls to the right path and to help Christians to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then the blessings would flow spiritually and naturally.
Shalom.